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CNN Live At Daybreak

Interim Iraq Constitution; Tony Blair Back on the Grill

Aired March 05, 2004 - 05:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning everyone.
It is Friday, March 5.

And from the CNN headquarters here in Atlanta, I'm Catherine Callaway. I'm in today for Carol.

Thanks for being with us this morning.

Here's the headlines. President Bush hosts Mexican President Vicente Fox at his Texas ranch today. Mr. Bush may use the event to announce a change in how some Mexicans enter the U.S.

And U.S. Marines expand their patrols in Haiti. But militant supporters of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide remain defiant and rebels are not giving up their guns like they said they would.

Deliberations resume this morning in the trial of Martha Stewart and her former stockbroker. Outside of the courtroom, Stewart got some good news, though, six daytime Emmy nominations for her television show.

And prospective jury members in the Scott Peterson double murder trial are asked their opinions of extramarital affairs and the death penalty. It could take two months to seat a jury. We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next update coming up at 5:15 Eastern time.

Freedom of speech, freedom of religion and rights for women, believe it or not, we're talking about Iraq. Three hours from now, those protections will be signed into the interim constitution of the country.

Live now to CNN's Ben Wedeman, who is in the Iraqi capital with the very latest on this -- hello, Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hello, Catherine.

Well, before that signing ceremony takes place, multiple reminders today of the trouble that could lie in wait for whatever council or government takes over in Iraq. Throughout the morning, we've heard a series of loud explosions around Baghdad. According to coalition sources, six or seven explosions alone took place at the U.S. controlled Baghdad International Airport. No casualties or injuries reported in this case.

Now, amidst massive security, the 25 member Iraqi Governing Council will be joining today to sign what is being called an interim constitution. This constitution is an important stepping stone in the transition from control of Iraq by the U.S.-led coalition to some form of Iraqi government.

Now, this interim constitution, among other things, recognizes Islam as a source of legislation for the new government. However, it does not call it the source of legislation, as some Islamic conservatives had called for.

It does represent a great leap forward. It includes a bill of rights, guarantees of religion and speech and also stipulates that women should make up 25 percent of the national assembly. It also deals with the question of federalism, which is a very touchy topic because, of course, the Kurds, who live in the northern part of the country, would like to maintain the autonomy that they enjoyed under the years when they were under -- in control of the north while the rest of the country was under the control of Saddam Hussein -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: And, Ben, what are you hearing from the average Iraqi about all of this, about the interim constitution?

WEDEMAN: Well, many people have praised it. They're happy about it. But really the main concern of ordinary Iraqis is the question of security. After the bombings in Karbala and Baghdad earlier this week, which left at least 180 people dead, the feeling is that the priority of the coalition, of the Governing Council and anybody running this country, is that they should try to reestablish law and order to guarantee that Iraqis will not be blown to bits when they go to the mosque, they go out in the street, that Iraqi police will be safe from the kinds of multiple attacks that have really plagued them in the last several months.

What's interesting, Catherine, is that coalition officials, for instance, are saying that the number of attacks against U.S. forces are at their lowest since May. Only 12 U.S. soldiers were killed. But Iraqis point out that more than 250 Iraqis were killed in February. So security is obviously a major concern -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Right. Of course it is.

Thank you, Ben.

Ben Wedeman.

Well, Tony Blair is back on the grill right now. The British prime minister is again defending his decisions and actions in Iraq.

We got live now to CNN's Matthew Chance.

He's joining us from London -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Catherine, thank you very much.

And what we're expecting to hear in about half an hour from now, when Tony Blair gives his keynote speech at his constituency of Sedgefield in northern England. A lot of the same arguments that we've heard before, I expect, about weapons of mass destruction and the failure to find them so far in Iraq; also about the justification for the war in Iraq.

But what Downing Street, the prime minister's office, is saying is that the real thrust of this speech will be to underline what they're calling the mortal danger of international terrorism. It will be a lengthy and detailed speech, according to government officials. Tony Blair will certainly, as I mentioned, be talking about Iraq and weapons of mass destruction.

But government officials insisting that this is not just another bid by Tony Blair to see off his critics, but it is a real attempt to get people to understand the true nature of the threat of international terrorism and the difficulties that this country faces in confronting it -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: So, Matthew, why the speech, why now?

CHANCE: Well, it is interesting the timing of this. But I think we have to remember that these issues of weapons of mass destruction, the failure to find them, the justification for the war in Iraq, these issues have never gone away for Tony Blair, and, in fact, over recent months they've just been intensifying. A member of his own cabinet, or a former member, Claire Shorts, has reignited controversy, of course, by claiming that the British intelligence services had been spying on the U.N. secretary general, Kofi Annan, in the lead up to the war with Iraq. There are renewed questions in this country about the legal basis for that war. And even though Tony Blair has attempted to refocus the public debate on domestic issues, he seems now to be confronting those accusations, those issues, once again, head on -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, Matthew, we'll check back with you after the speech.

Thank you very much.

That's CNN's Matthew Chance joining us from London this morning.

And two hours from now on AMERICAN MORNING, an interview with Paul Bremer, the coalition's civilian administrator in Iraq and with Adnan Pachachi, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council. That's coming up at 7:00 a.m. Eastern time right here on CNN.

Exploiting 9/11 or just a campaign ad? Well, this morning a group of 9/11 families and firefighters will call on the Bush campaign to pull his new television ads. They say the president is using the images from the tragedy for his own gain.

Here's CNN's Jason Carroll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM BUSH-CHENEY '04 CAMPAIGN AD) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm George W. Bush and I approved this message.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the political ads is called "Tested" and it's definitely testing critics like Patty Casazza. Her husband died in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks and while she voted for the president in the last election, she's angry. Bush is using 9/11 images, she says, to try to get reelected.

PATTY CASAZZA, WIDOW OF 9/11 VICTIM: Our eyes are wide open. We can't help but look at the failures of that day. We lost loved ones and anyone in our shoes would have to have a more critical view of the president.

CARROLL: Not necessarily. Firefighter Joe Esposito lost a brother and a cousin, both of whom were also firefighters.

JOE ESPOSITO, BROTHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: It shows it in a good light. It shows your firefighters carrying their brother out and it shows you an American flag waving over the Trade Center. I have no problem with that.

CARROLL: One local firefighters union does take issue. The Uniformed Firefighters Officers Association, which endorsed Democratic Senator John Kerry, says the president's ad goes too far.

CAPT. PETER GORMAN, UNIFORMED FIRE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION: I don't think the death of any citizen, particularly the firefighters, should be used in anyone's campaign.

CARROLL: Bush supporter Bernard Kerik was the police commissioner on 9/11. BERNARD KERIK, FORMER NYPD COMMISSIONER: I look at it as a possibility for us to remind the public what happened on that day and what could happen if we don't do the right things in this country going forward.

CARROLL: But Patty Casazza looks at the ads and looks back at what she says went wrong.

CASAZZA: I expected leadership and what I got was a failure to lead, a failure to protect the American citizens of this nation from attack.

CARROLL (on camera): One political ad expert says despite all the politics and emotions that are involved, most likely the ad will not play a major role, as the country moves closer to the conventions n the election.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLAWAY: So are the ads tasteful or tasteless? Well, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was widely praised for his leadership after the World Trade Center attacks and he says that the Bush campaign is justified in bringing up 9/11.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "ANDERSON COOPER 360")

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: It's part of our history. It's part of the history of America, of all America. And the reality is that President Bush played a very, very big role in bringing our country through the worst attack in our history. So it's an appropriate thing for him to point out as part of his record, just like, you know, Democrats are going to attack parts of his record and say, you know, we think it should have been done differently or it should have -- this should have been or that should have been done.

It would be unrealistic not to, not to have at least some appropriate focus on it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLAWAY: And you can read the Bush-Cheney defense on the ads on our Web site. Go to cnn.com/allpolitics.

Well, a transit strike in Minnesota's Twin Cities tops this look at stories across America this morning. City officials in Minneapolis say that they were prepared for the strike and that helped avoid major headaches. But this morning's commute could be another story. That's because up to five inches of snow is expected there. An estimated 75,000 people ride more than 700 buses daily there. About 2,200 drivers, mechanics and others are on strike.

And in Philadelphia, a judge has approved a custody plan for the mother of a little girl who authorities thought was killed in a fire six years ago. But that reunion will have to be a gradual one. The little girl was taken when she was less than two weeks old. Another woman is accused of kidnapping the little girl and of arson.

In the southern Plains States, it wasn't a good day to be on the roads. Storms with strong winds blew some big rigs off the highway near Abilene, Texas. A dozen counties in Texas reported damaging winds. There were some injuries, but thankfully they were not serious.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CALLAWAY: Still to come, how much do you pay for gasoline? Probably too much. But why? Why are you being gouged. We'll tell you, coming up.

You can see it in the eyes of these orphans in Haiti -- desperation. Is anything being done to help them there? We'll tell you.

Also coming up, homeless, living in a shelter, not exactly the life that you'd expect for a Hall of Fame boxer.

It's Friday, March 5, and you're watching DAYBREAK. COMMERCIAL BREAK

CALLAWAY: It's 15 minutes after the hour now.

Here's a quick look at the headlines.

Iraq's Governing Council plans to sign an interim constitution today, an agreement that includes democratic legal principles. It's considered key to U.S. plans to transfer power to Iraqis in June.

And in Haiti, about 500 Marines are expected to arrive in Haiti this weekend. They'll join 500 others already patrolling the capital there after President Aristide was ousted.

And it's another day of waiting for Martha Stewart. Jury members in her obstruction of justice trial will begin a third day of deliberations today.

We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next update coming up at 5:30 Eastern time.

Well, getting around is costing big bucks these days, especially if you drive. Gas prices are skyrocketing and motorists are pumping mad.

CNN's Eric Philips reports that it looks like things will actually get worse before they get better.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIC PHILIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you drive to and from work, or if you drive for work, you know firsthand what analysts have been telling us for weeks now -- gas prices are up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel as though these gas prices are going up by the minute. It's really, really ridiculous.

PHILIPS: Consider the rise in the regular gasoline prices over just the last two weeks. On the East Coast, motorists have seen an increase of $0.03 over the last two weeks. In the Midwest, it's gone up $0.04; $0.02 in the Gulf Coast States; $0.05 in the Rocky Mountain region; and a whopping $0.20 out West, reaching more than $2 a gallon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that there's no reason for it whatsoever and I think we, the consumers, are being gouged.

PHILIPS: Experts say while it's unusual for prices to spike this early in the year, fewer refineries processing less oil is creating more problems.

JUSTIN MCNAULL, AAA: The global supply has been diminishing due to some cutbacks in OPEC production and at the same time we've seen demand torque up as the economy has revved up. China is using a lot more crude oil.

PHILIPS: The founder of a Web site called Gaspricewatch.com says there's no good explanation for the skyrocketing prices.

BRAD PROCTOR, GASPRICEWATCH.COM: I look at these refinery closures, those didn't just happen in a week. These were planned a year or two earlier. So the industry knew that these shortfalls were going to start to occur and should have been able to ramp up other capabilities to fill in for this.

PHILIPS: Industry analysts say, as usual, prices may go even higher as we approach Memorial Day.

Eric Philips, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLAWAY: We're going to take you now to our Todd Benjamin, who's checking all the numbers for us in London this morning -- hey, speaking of numbers, what's the gas prices like over there?

TODD BENJAMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can't have any pity on you guys, because, I'll tell you, you pay more than $4 a gallon over her.

CALLAWAY: No way! BENJAMIN: Most of it's tax, but -- absolutely. Absolutely. So every time you fill the tank, I'll tell you, you know, you could buy a second house.

CALLAWAY: That's amazing. BENJAMIN: It's very expensive, to say the least. It is. About 70 percent, actually, of what you pay in the U.K. for gasoline is tax.

CALLAWAY: Oh. BENJAMIN: And, actually, the oil companies, they only make about a $0.01 a gallon in terms of profit. So it's really high taxation that is the culprit.

In terms of the thing that we're focusing on, of course we're keeping our eyes on the oil market. And it's not only low inventories, as we just heard, that it contributing to higher gasoline prices. You know, it's demand, as your correspondent was talking about, in China and the U.S., and, also, you've got civil unrest in Venezuela, so that's helping to keep crude oil prices higher than they might otherwise be. And, of course, OPEC has been keeping disciplined.

The big focus today, though, no doubt about it, Catherine, is going to be the jobs report. We'll get that at 1:30 Eastern time. The expectation is 125,000 jobs were created. That would be an improvement, and actually the best showing since November of 2000.

As you're well aware from your political coverage, this has been what's known as a jobless recovery. The Democrats have been hitting President Bush over the head with it. More than two million jobs have been lost under his tenure. And so it's not only important from the economy, but from a political State Department in terms of the Bush administration. Right now the markets trading flat ahead of that report -- back to you.

CALLAWAY: All right, Todd, thank you very much.

And we'll just shut up over here about the gas prices, OK? BENJAMIN: You've got it.

CALLAWAY: We've got nothing to complain about. BENJAMIN: Absolutely not.

CALLAWAY: All right, Todd Benjamin, thanks.

Well, turning now to conflict weary Haiti. Is there any hope that these supplies can get to the desperate people who need them?

The U.S. is trying to draw a noose around Osama bin Laden's hiding place. We'll take a look at the latest plan.

But first, a Boca brawl caught on tape.

This is DAYBREAK for Friday.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

CALLAWAY: Looting overnight in Port-au-Prince despite a curfew trying to be enforced by U.S. Marines and French troops. The looting comes amid a humanitarian disaster in the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.

Our Lucia Newman tells us what one orphanage in Haiti faces in this crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Their eyes are as huge as their stomachs are empty. It's been more than a month since food donations arrived at this Port-au-Prince orphanage and the children are hungry. So hungry that when Father Raymond Pierson shows us the nearly empty storage room, they rush in to eat the raw beans and flour off the floor.

The Canadian priest who runs the orphanage says 75 children and 15 adults have been living mostly on rice.

REV. RAYMOND PIERSON, ORPHANAGE DIRECTOR: Yes, and beans sometimes, when we receive. But now we cannot receive.

NEWMAN: By the port, it's finally safe enough for the World Food Program to load up a truck with basic foodstuffs. Miraculously, this warehouse wasn't looted, like so many others.

Four days after the orphanage contacted the organization to beg for help, Father Raymond's prayers are answered. The World Food Program alone is now trying to feed nearly half a million Haitians.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are, in fact, planning to reach the beneficiary that we are -- we weren't able to reach in the north because of the conflicts.

NEWMAN: Nearby, a man is caught looting in a Port-au-Prince industrial center. Not that there's much left to steal.

ROBERT CHERON, FOOD IMPORTER: You would understand that they would steal the food. Fine. It is no problem. But the fact that they broke everything, it breaks our heart, you know? What you see here, that's all that's left.

NEWMAN: Robert Cheron says he and his employees are out of work. Even the toilet is gone. The rampage of looting and destruction that began Saturday has destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property and left thousands unemployed.

Nadine Baker can't pay her 500 employees.

NADINE BAKER, TEXTILE FACTORY OWNER: You know, especially these people live day by day. It's not like they have savings or anything like that. And when you think that each of them have at least two to three people depending on them at home.

NEWMAN: An economic nightmare, a humanitarian disaster. So many people who live in the hemisphere's poorest and most vulnerable nation.

Lucia Newman, CNN, Port-au-Prince.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLAWAY: And in other news this morning, a season premier tops our DAYBREAK Eye-Opener.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE SOPRANOS," COURTESY HBO)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, look what's coming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLAWAY: Look what's coming, indeed. The first show of the fifth season of HBO's popular series, "The Sopranos" debuts this Sunday. An online book maker has issued odds on just which character will be the first to get whacked in this coming season.

And in St. John's County on Florida's east coast, perhaps someone was a little too eager to get to the mall. A 73-year-old drove right through the front of the store. She told police that her accelerator got stuck. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured.

And watch this. A condo -- oh, wow. Going to blows. A condo owner's meeting in Boca Raton, Florida gets downright ugly. The owners were discussing country club memberships and the effects on property sales and taxes when the brief scuffle broke out. Egos were bruised, but no one was hurt.

It's a good thing no one was hurt. They're supposed to be retiring and enjoying Boca Raton.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, they're passionate. They're passionate. CALLAWAY: When it comes to money, everybody is, I guess, right?

MARCIANO: Hey, condo dues, you know, they just keep going up and up it seems. That guy had a pretty good right hook there.

CALLAWAY: Yes, he did.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CALLAWAY: I guess we've got 15 more days to look at the lovely daisy on the lapel every day.

MARCIANO: Um-hmm.

See you later, Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, Rob.

Coming up in the next half hour of DAYBREAK, Iraq's Governing Council gets ready to put pen to paper, paving the way to Iraqi self- rule. We'll take you live to Baghdad.

And the causes of autism. Does a study of childhood vaccinations send people down the wrong road?

Also coming up, a former boxing great gets a fighting chance at a new life.

This is DAYBREAK for Friday.

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Aired March 5, 2004 - 05:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning everyone.
It is Friday, March 5.

And from the CNN headquarters here in Atlanta, I'm Catherine Callaway. I'm in today for Carol.

Thanks for being with us this morning.

Here's the headlines. President Bush hosts Mexican President Vicente Fox at his Texas ranch today. Mr. Bush may use the event to announce a change in how some Mexicans enter the U.S.

And U.S. Marines expand their patrols in Haiti. But militant supporters of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide remain defiant and rebels are not giving up their guns like they said they would.

Deliberations resume this morning in the trial of Martha Stewart and her former stockbroker. Outside of the courtroom, Stewart got some good news, though, six daytime Emmy nominations for her television show.

And prospective jury members in the Scott Peterson double murder trial are asked their opinions of extramarital affairs and the death penalty. It could take two months to seat a jury. We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next update coming up at 5:15 Eastern time.

Freedom of speech, freedom of religion and rights for women, believe it or not, we're talking about Iraq. Three hours from now, those protections will be signed into the interim constitution of the country.

Live now to CNN's Ben Wedeman, who is in the Iraqi capital with the very latest on this -- hello, Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hello, Catherine.

Well, before that signing ceremony takes place, multiple reminders today of the trouble that could lie in wait for whatever council or government takes over in Iraq. Throughout the morning, we've heard a series of loud explosions around Baghdad. According to coalition sources, six or seven explosions alone took place at the U.S. controlled Baghdad International Airport. No casualties or injuries reported in this case.

Now, amidst massive security, the 25 member Iraqi Governing Council will be joining today to sign what is being called an interim constitution. This constitution is an important stepping stone in the transition from control of Iraq by the U.S.-led coalition to some form of Iraqi government.

Now, this interim constitution, among other things, recognizes Islam as a source of legislation for the new government. However, it does not call it the source of legislation, as some Islamic conservatives had called for.

It does represent a great leap forward. It includes a bill of rights, guarantees of religion and speech and also stipulates that women should make up 25 percent of the national assembly. It also deals with the question of federalism, which is a very touchy topic because, of course, the Kurds, who live in the northern part of the country, would like to maintain the autonomy that they enjoyed under the years when they were under -- in control of the north while the rest of the country was under the control of Saddam Hussein -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: And, Ben, what are you hearing from the average Iraqi about all of this, about the interim constitution?

WEDEMAN: Well, many people have praised it. They're happy about it. But really the main concern of ordinary Iraqis is the question of security. After the bombings in Karbala and Baghdad earlier this week, which left at least 180 people dead, the feeling is that the priority of the coalition, of the Governing Council and anybody running this country, is that they should try to reestablish law and order to guarantee that Iraqis will not be blown to bits when they go to the mosque, they go out in the street, that Iraqi police will be safe from the kinds of multiple attacks that have really plagued them in the last several months.

What's interesting, Catherine, is that coalition officials, for instance, are saying that the number of attacks against U.S. forces are at their lowest since May. Only 12 U.S. soldiers were killed. But Iraqis point out that more than 250 Iraqis were killed in February. So security is obviously a major concern -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Right. Of course it is.

Thank you, Ben.

Ben Wedeman.

Well, Tony Blair is back on the grill right now. The British prime minister is again defending his decisions and actions in Iraq.

We got live now to CNN's Matthew Chance.

He's joining us from London -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Catherine, thank you very much.

And what we're expecting to hear in about half an hour from now, when Tony Blair gives his keynote speech at his constituency of Sedgefield in northern England. A lot of the same arguments that we've heard before, I expect, about weapons of mass destruction and the failure to find them so far in Iraq; also about the justification for the war in Iraq.

But what Downing Street, the prime minister's office, is saying is that the real thrust of this speech will be to underline what they're calling the mortal danger of international terrorism. It will be a lengthy and detailed speech, according to government officials. Tony Blair will certainly, as I mentioned, be talking about Iraq and weapons of mass destruction.

But government officials insisting that this is not just another bid by Tony Blair to see off his critics, but it is a real attempt to get people to understand the true nature of the threat of international terrorism and the difficulties that this country faces in confronting it -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: So, Matthew, why the speech, why now?

CHANCE: Well, it is interesting the timing of this. But I think we have to remember that these issues of weapons of mass destruction, the failure to find them, the justification for the war in Iraq, these issues have never gone away for Tony Blair, and, in fact, over recent months they've just been intensifying. A member of his own cabinet, or a former member, Claire Shorts, has reignited controversy, of course, by claiming that the British intelligence services had been spying on the U.N. secretary general, Kofi Annan, in the lead up to the war with Iraq. There are renewed questions in this country about the legal basis for that war. And even though Tony Blair has attempted to refocus the public debate on domestic issues, he seems now to be confronting those accusations, those issues, once again, head on -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, Matthew, we'll check back with you after the speech.

Thank you very much.

That's CNN's Matthew Chance joining us from London this morning.

And two hours from now on AMERICAN MORNING, an interview with Paul Bremer, the coalition's civilian administrator in Iraq and with Adnan Pachachi, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council. That's coming up at 7:00 a.m. Eastern time right here on CNN.

Exploiting 9/11 or just a campaign ad? Well, this morning a group of 9/11 families and firefighters will call on the Bush campaign to pull his new television ads. They say the president is using the images from the tragedy for his own gain.

Here's CNN's Jason Carroll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM BUSH-CHENEY '04 CAMPAIGN AD) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm George W. Bush and I approved this message.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the political ads is called "Tested" and it's definitely testing critics like Patty Casazza. Her husband died in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks and while she voted for the president in the last election, she's angry. Bush is using 9/11 images, she says, to try to get reelected.

PATTY CASAZZA, WIDOW OF 9/11 VICTIM: Our eyes are wide open. We can't help but look at the failures of that day. We lost loved ones and anyone in our shoes would have to have a more critical view of the president.

CARROLL: Not necessarily. Firefighter Joe Esposito lost a brother and a cousin, both of whom were also firefighters.

JOE ESPOSITO, BROTHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: It shows it in a good light. It shows your firefighters carrying their brother out and it shows you an American flag waving over the Trade Center. I have no problem with that.

CARROLL: One local firefighters union does take issue. The Uniformed Firefighters Officers Association, which endorsed Democratic Senator John Kerry, says the president's ad goes too far.

CAPT. PETER GORMAN, UNIFORMED FIRE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION: I don't think the death of any citizen, particularly the firefighters, should be used in anyone's campaign.

CARROLL: Bush supporter Bernard Kerik was the police commissioner on 9/11. BERNARD KERIK, FORMER NYPD COMMISSIONER: I look at it as a possibility for us to remind the public what happened on that day and what could happen if we don't do the right things in this country going forward.

CARROLL: But Patty Casazza looks at the ads and looks back at what she says went wrong.

CASAZZA: I expected leadership and what I got was a failure to lead, a failure to protect the American citizens of this nation from attack.

CARROLL (on camera): One political ad expert says despite all the politics and emotions that are involved, most likely the ad will not play a major role, as the country moves closer to the conventions n the election.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLAWAY: So are the ads tasteful or tasteless? Well, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was widely praised for his leadership after the World Trade Center attacks and he says that the Bush campaign is justified in bringing up 9/11.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "ANDERSON COOPER 360")

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: It's part of our history. It's part of the history of America, of all America. And the reality is that President Bush played a very, very big role in bringing our country through the worst attack in our history. So it's an appropriate thing for him to point out as part of his record, just like, you know, Democrats are going to attack parts of his record and say, you know, we think it should have been done differently or it should have -- this should have been or that should have been done.

It would be unrealistic not to, not to have at least some appropriate focus on it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLAWAY: And you can read the Bush-Cheney defense on the ads on our Web site. Go to cnn.com/allpolitics.

Well, a transit strike in Minnesota's Twin Cities tops this look at stories across America this morning. City officials in Minneapolis say that they were prepared for the strike and that helped avoid major headaches. But this morning's commute could be another story. That's because up to five inches of snow is expected there. An estimated 75,000 people ride more than 700 buses daily there. About 2,200 drivers, mechanics and others are on strike.

And in Philadelphia, a judge has approved a custody plan for the mother of a little girl who authorities thought was killed in a fire six years ago. But that reunion will have to be a gradual one. The little girl was taken when she was less than two weeks old. Another woman is accused of kidnapping the little girl and of arson.

In the southern Plains States, it wasn't a good day to be on the roads. Storms with strong winds blew some big rigs off the highway near Abilene, Texas. A dozen counties in Texas reported damaging winds. There were some injuries, but thankfully they were not serious.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CALLAWAY: Still to come, how much do you pay for gasoline? Probably too much. But why? Why are you being gouged. We'll tell you, coming up.

You can see it in the eyes of these orphans in Haiti -- desperation. Is anything being done to help them there? We'll tell you.

Also coming up, homeless, living in a shelter, not exactly the life that you'd expect for a Hall of Fame boxer.

It's Friday, March 5, and you're watching DAYBREAK. COMMERCIAL BREAK

CALLAWAY: It's 15 minutes after the hour now.

Here's a quick look at the headlines.

Iraq's Governing Council plans to sign an interim constitution today, an agreement that includes democratic legal principles. It's considered key to U.S. plans to transfer power to Iraqis in June.

And in Haiti, about 500 Marines are expected to arrive in Haiti this weekend. They'll join 500 others already patrolling the capital there after President Aristide was ousted.

And it's another day of waiting for Martha Stewart. Jury members in her obstruction of justice trial will begin a third day of deliberations today.

We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next update coming up at 5:30 Eastern time.

Well, getting around is costing big bucks these days, especially if you drive. Gas prices are skyrocketing and motorists are pumping mad.

CNN's Eric Philips reports that it looks like things will actually get worse before they get better.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIC PHILIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you drive to and from work, or if you drive for work, you know firsthand what analysts have been telling us for weeks now -- gas prices are up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel as though these gas prices are going up by the minute. It's really, really ridiculous.

PHILIPS: Consider the rise in the regular gasoline prices over just the last two weeks. On the East Coast, motorists have seen an increase of $0.03 over the last two weeks. In the Midwest, it's gone up $0.04; $0.02 in the Gulf Coast States; $0.05 in the Rocky Mountain region; and a whopping $0.20 out West, reaching more than $2 a gallon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that there's no reason for it whatsoever and I think we, the consumers, are being gouged.

PHILIPS: Experts say while it's unusual for prices to spike this early in the year, fewer refineries processing less oil is creating more problems.

JUSTIN MCNAULL, AAA: The global supply has been diminishing due to some cutbacks in OPEC production and at the same time we've seen demand torque up as the economy has revved up. China is using a lot more crude oil.

PHILIPS: The founder of a Web site called Gaspricewatch.com says there's no good explanation for the skyrocketing prices.

BRAD PROCTOR, GASPRICEWATCH.COM: I look at these refinery closures, those didn't just happen in a week. These were planned a year or two earlier. So the industry knew that these shortfalls were going to start to occur and should have been able to ramp up other capabilities to fill in for this.

PHILIPS: Industry analysts say, as usual, prices may go even higher as we approach Memorial Day.

Eric Philips, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLAWAY: We're going to take you now to our Todd Benjamin, who's checking all the numbers for us in London this morning -- hey, speaking of numbers, what's the gas prices like over there?

TODD BENJAMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can't have any pity on you guys, because, I'll tell you, you pay more than $4 a gallon over her.

CALLAWAY: No way! BENJAMIN: Most of it's tax, but -- absolutely. Absolutely. So every time you fill the tank, I'll tell you, you know, you could buy a second house.

CALLAWAY: That's amazing. BENJAMIN: It's very expensive, to say the least. It is. About 70 percent, actually, of what you pay in the U.K. for gasoline is tax.

CALLAWAY: Oh. BENJAMIN: And, actually, the oil companies, they only make about a $0.01 a gallon in terms of profit. So it's really high taxation that is the culprit.

In terms of the thing that we're focusing on, of course we're keeping our eyes on the oil market. And it's not only low inventories, as we just heard, that it contributing to higher gasoline prices. You know, it's demand, as your correspondent was talking about, in China and the U.S., and, also, you've got civil unrest in Venezuela, so that's helping to keep crude oil prices higher than they might otherwise be. And, of course, OPEC has been keeping disciplined.

The big focus today, though, no doubt about it, Catherine, is going to be the jobs report. We'll get that at 1:30 Eastern time. The expectation is 125,000 jobs were created. That would be an improvement, and actually the best showing since November of 2000.

As you're well aware from your political coverage, this has been what's known as a jobless recovery. The Democrats have been hitting President Bush over the head with it. More than two million jobs have been lost under his tenure. And so it's not only important from the economy, but from a political State Department in terms of the Bush administration. Right now the markets trading flat ahead of that report -- back to you.

CALLAWAY: All right, Todd, thank you very much.

And we'll just shut up over here about the gas prices, OK? BENJAMIN: You've got it.

CALLAWAY: We've got nothing to complain about. BENJAMIN: Absolutely not.

CALLAWAY: All right, Todd Benjamin, thanks.

Well, turning now to conflict weary Haiti. Is there any hope that these supplies can get to the desperate people who need them?

The U.S. is trying to draw a noose around Osama bin Laden's hiding place. We'll take a look at the latest plan.

But first, a Boca brawl caught on tape.

This is DAYBREAK for Friday.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

CALLAWAY: Looting overnight in Port-au-Prince despite a curfew trying to be enforced by U.S. Marines and French troops. The looting comes amid a humanitarian disaster in the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.

Our Lucia Newman tells us what one orphanage in Haiti faces in this crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Their eyes are as huge as their stomachs are empty. It's been more than a month since food donations arrived at this Port-au-Prince orphanage and the children are hungry. So hungry that when Father Raymond Pierson shows us the nearly empty storage room, they rush in to eat the raw beans and flour off the floor.

The Canadian priest who runs the orphanage says 75 children and 15 adults have been living mostly on rice.

REV. RAYMOND PIERSON, ORPHANAGE DIRECTOR: Yes, and beans sometimes, when we receive. But now we cannot receive.

NEWMAN: By the port, it's finally safe enough for the World Food Program to load up a truck with basic foodstuffs. Miraculously, this warehouse wasn't looted, like so many others.

Four days after the orphanage contacted the organization to beg for help, Father Raymond's prayers are answered. The World Food Program alone is now trying to feed nearly half a million Haitians.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are, in fact, planning to reach the beneficiary that we are -- we weren't able to reach in the north because of the conflicts.

NEWMAN: Nearby, a man is caught looting in a Port-au-Prince industrial center. Not that there's much left to steal.

ROBERT CHERON, FOOD IMPORTER: You would understand that they would steal the food. Fine. It is no problem. But the fact that they broke everything, it breaks our heart, you know? What you see here, that's all that's left.

NEWMAN: Robert Cheron says he and his employees are out of work. Even the toilet is gone. The rampage of looting and destruction that began Saturday has destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property and left thousands unemployed.

Nadine Baker can't pay her 500 employees.

NADINE BAKER, TEXTILE FACTORY OWNER: You know, especially these people live day by day. It's not like they have savings or anything like that. And when you think that each of them have at least two to three people depending on them at home.

NEWMAN: An economic nightmare, a humanitarian disaster. So many people who live in the hemisphere's poorest and most vulnerable nation.

Lucia Newman, CNN, Port-au-Prince.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLAWAY: And in other news this morning, a season premier tops our DAYBREAK Eye-Opener.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE SOPRANOS," COURTESY HBO)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, look what's coming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLAWAY: Look what's coming, indeed. The first show of the fifth season of HBO's popular series, "The Sopranos" debuts this Sunday. An online book maker has issued odds on just which character will be the first to get whacked in this coming season.

And in St. John's County on Florida's east coast, perhaps someone was a little too eager to get to the mall. A 73-year-old drove right through the front of the store. She told police that her accelerator got stuck. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured.

And watch this. A condo -- oh, wow. Going to blows. A condo owner's meeting in Boca Raton, Florida gets downright ugly. The owners were discussing country club memberships and the effects on property sales and taxes when the brief scuffle broke out. Egos were bruised, but no one was hurt.

It's a good thing no one was hurt. They're supposed to be retiring and enjoying Boca Raton.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, they're passionate. They're passionate. CALLAWAY: When it comes to money, everybody is, I guess, right?

MARCIANO: Hey, condo dues, you know, they just keep going up and up it seems. That guy had a pretty good right hook there.

CALLAWAY: Yes, he did.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CALLAWAY: I guess we've got 15 more days to look at the lovely daisy on the lapel every day.

MARCIANO: Um-hmm.

See you later, Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, Rob.

Coming up in the next half hour of DAYBREAK, Iraq's Governing Council gets ready to put pen to paper, paving the way to Iraqi self- rule. We'll take you live to Baghdad.

And the causes of autism. Does a study of childhood vaccinations send people down the wrong road?

Also coming up, a former boxing great gets a fighting chance at a new life.

This is DAYBREAK for Friday.

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